


Gentleman’s Agreement

by Valaks



Category: Alex Rider - Anthony Horowitz
Genre: Alex Rider Needs An Adult, Crack Taken Seriously, Creative Problem Solving, LITERALLY, Mentor!Yassen, Not Never Say Die compliant, Parent Teacher Conferences and World Class Assassins Mix Surprisingly Well, Post Scorpia Rising, Semi Reluctantly, Yassen Gregorovich Lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:47:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25422646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valaks/pseuds/Valaks
Summary: In the year and a half since his supposed death Yassen Gregorovich had been a busy man. Unfortunately, Alex Rider had been busy too. They had a gentleman’s agreement for handling their business in the field but this was different. The teen had gone to the trouble of finding him, determining his target, and the ideal location of the hit. It would be a shame to waste that kind of effort, besides he needed to know how he had done it when his employers hadn’t. He would go to Alex’s meeting and then he would get his answers.OrAlex Rider needs an adult. For just a few minutes. And they can’t be affiliated with MI6. Unfortunately there’s only one person left in his life that matches that description.
Comments: 23
Kudos: 329





	Gentleman’s Agreement

Like a fine wine, Alex Rider was improving with age. Yassen mused as he studied the boy through his scope. 

It was his last day of reconnaissance. His mark was habitual. Dangerous in Yassen’s line of work but not unusual in his. Investment banking did not usually invite assassinations but the target had been at the heart of an investigation that exposed illicit dealings of several major players in the industry. They wanted him gone before anything further could fall on them. And they wanted it done publicly to send a message. Yassen could accommodate and the man was quite helpful in that he went to finish his work in a quiet coffee shop a block or two away from the office every evening. He had planned to finish the job tomorrow but he had the perfect shot now. More importantly, there was obviously something more interesting going on.

Alex Rider was acting uncharacteristically. He obviously knew who Yassen was after, given he was sitting two tables over from him. Disguised though he was. But perplexingly he had taken no actions to warn the man of his presence. It had always only been a matter of time before the morals Alex Rider clung to were swept away by the grim reality of the world he found himself in. Perhaps this was a sign that they had been or maybe he thought that his presence would stay Yassen’s hand if only to find out what Alex’s play was.

He was wrong. 

With a gentle squeeze of the trigger the man and his chair were knocked backward by the explosive punch of the bullet through his forehead. He couldn’t confirm the kill but he didn’t really need to. Before he jerked away from his scope to begin collapsing the rifle and make his escape he noticed that Alex Rider didn’t look shocked in the slightest. Interesting. 

He caught sight of the teen on the fringe of the morbid crowd and then he was gone. Yassen grinned to himself, the chase was on.

He was disappointed that the chase did not last as long as he wanted. One moment Alex was in front of the cork board on a Tube platform and the next he was sliding in between the closing doors of a train. He could follow and get his answers but Alex had left something behind. A possible indication that all was not safe, he would not put it past him. Alex had a soft spot for him - that Yassen had spared him a thousand times over despite numerous orders might contribute to it. Alex had returned the favor and had even saved him from capture by his employers. Their relationship was an odd one that couldn’t really be put in words. Yassen did not want to try. 

He found a piece of paper on the board with an address, room number, time and date. Normally he would ignore what was so obviously a trap but given that it was Alex, it merited at least a cursory glance. A quick look up of the address confirmed that Alex wanted to meet him at his school tomorrow. If it was a trap, it was a poorly constructed one. The windows to the rooms were broad and open and the meeting time would give little opportunity for a strike team to set up. Some surveillance put in the room tonight and a stakeout tomorrow would be enough to put those fears to rest. But should he? His plane wasn’t wasn’t scheduled until Saturday and moving it now seemed pointless. He could humor Alex. The teen had gone to the trouble of finding him, determining his target, and location. It would be a shame to waste that kind of effort besides he needed to know how the boy had done it when his employers hadn’t.

He spent the night setting up surveillance and the day scoping out the school. Alex was tense, it showed in all the little ways - the square of his shoulders, the clench of his hands when someone came just a little too close, the far too practiced casing of each room and the subsequent sizing up of his classmates. It could be a sign of a trap but Yassen doubted it. No one else saw the behavior as odd and Alex made no secret out of knowing exactly where Yassen was. Too many times in a sniper’s scope tended to give you a sixth sense about them. He could have alerted someone then but he didn’t. This wasn’t a trap then, but what other reason could there be when they could have easily and discretely talked yesterday? There was only one way to find out.

One look at his phone confirmed that the room he was to go to was clear of any strike teams. A case of the building over the last 20 minutes confirmed that none of the others were either. There was still a chance they could be brought in but that would be elaborate even for MI6. The room was not clear of others. Alex was sitting before the desk of what must be the headmaster or perhaps a deputy. She was a kindly looking woman with gray hair pulled tightly into a bun. On anyone else it would look severe with the pitying look she was giving Alex it was softened noticeably. Yassen listened outside the door to the faint sounds of conversation. 

“....sorry, we had to reschedule it’s just with his work…” 

“No problem, dear.” a warm female voice returned. “Will he be able to make it?”

“He hasn’t texted me yet but he might be in traffic.” Alex hedged, he knew Yassen was watching and likely listening but he didn’t take it as a guarantee that the man would come. 

That was a fair assessment. 

Yassen wanted nothing to do with what was obviously a conference of some sort, especially when he would be forced into the role of a guardian. But it said something that Alex thought having him attend was the best approach. Teenagers were known for making stupid decisions but Alex Rider was not. Mainly because his decisions had too many lives on the line. Even now he was potentially risking the life of this woman. It would be nothing for him to kill her and leave it to MI6 to clean up the proverbial mess. Alex knew that. Which was another question, why wasn’t MI6 here? They could handle whatever trouble Alex got into easily. Which meant whatever this was, it was something he didn’t want MI6 to know about. There was something more going on here. He had made it this far, he may as well indulge his curiosity. He knocked politely on the door. 

The woman looked up with a warm smile “Mr. Rothman, thank you for joining us.” 

He shot a look at Alex, being called that name was definitely trying his patience given the situation. The teen obviously knew that since he was pointedly avoiding his gaze. “My pleasure, thank you for having us.” He said smoothly, taking a seat.

“I don’t believe we’ve met before...” She trailed off. He could say he was a social worker. She would likely buy it even if he was a bit casually dressed. But Alex had put him on the spot, it would do well to make him squirm.

“I’m a friend of his fathers. I look after him when I can, unfortunately work can get in the way sometimes.” Alex shot him a discrete look but Yassen kept his eyes locked on the woman.

“Oh? And what do you do Mr. Rothman?”

“I’m a sniper.” Alex twitched “in the military.” He finished.

“Oh, thank you for your service.”

“Of course.” Credibility established, he pressed on. Alex was fortunate that he wanted this meeting finished as much as he did or he could make this very, very painful for him. As it stood, he had a general idea of the situation from the records he had pulled last night. “I’m sorry for all the trouble Alex has been. He’s been taking it hard since his Uncle passed. I’m trying to help with that but you know how difficult these things can be...” 

The woman nodded with the understanding that only someone dealing with teenagers all day could have “Unfortunately Alex hasn’t had it very easy here either, with all of his absences the bullying has increased. We are aware of it and are doing our best to address it with the other students.” She assured “but we do have a zero tolerance policy.”

So that’s what this is about. Alex was getting expelled. That would be something he would want to hide from MI6 but something he would know he would not be able to. It had to be something else then.

“Alex was fighting again?” He did his best to sound resigned. It wasn’t difficult to fake. 

“I’m afraid so, this meeting isn’t an official reprimand since Alex didn’t fight back, but we are concerned. Two more strikes and we will be forced to expel him.”

Yassen nodded politely, that made more sense.

“We would suggest considering a transfer. Having an expulsion on his record would make it difficult but if you were able to move him before then…”

He looked to Alex who was staring into his lap, looking earnestly embarrassed. He imagined having his school record explained to Yassen would be mortifying but he had invited this on himself. “We will look into it.” 

“If there’s anything we can do to help we, of course, will. There’s several schools that would be able to give him the one on one attention he needs. Alex was a star student, given a fresh start, I’m sure he would thrive.”

“Of course, Alex is exceptionally bright, if a bit reckless. A firm hand could help get him back on the right track.” The boy winced, good he knew a threat when he heard one. “If there’s nothing else...?”

“No, that would be all Mr. Rothman. Thank you for taking the time to come down here. It’s nice to know that someone is looking after him besides a social worker.” MI6 agents only then. He looked back to Alex, he was aware that the boy had lost his housekeeper. It shouldn’t surprise him that he had nowhere else left to go besides MI6s care.

“Of course. And thank you for your concern for Alex.” He smiled disarmingly and stood, resting a hand on the boy's shoulder. She likely saw it as endearingly paternal. What she couldn’t see was the vice like grip that he was ensuring would leave a bruise. He wanted it clear that Alex would not be getting away from the follow up discussion they were about to have. It didn’t take long to locate an empty classroom.

He pushed the boy in and locked the door, drawing the small blind over the window.

Alex wasn’t even trying to prepare to defend himself, he wasn’t even looking at him. In the field, Alex was all confident if not cocky energy and biting remarks. Right now, with his shoulders hunched and one arm crossed holding the other elbow, he looked every bit his age. Normally he would say he was faking it. It would make sense given he likely knew that he was at the end of Yassen’s patience. But even in the face of that Alex wouldn’t be this vulnerable. It was too earnest. Which meant he wasn’t dealing with Alex Rider the spy right now, was dealing with Alex Rider the 15 year old. If he wanted answers about why Alex thought he was the best solution for a parent teacher conference then he would need to start easy and get him back into the more familiar mindset.

“How did you find me?”

“You found me first.” the boy pointed out and he wasn’t wrong. 

It was a potentially dangerous habit that every time he came to England he checked on Alex. It helped that he knew the boy’s routine like the back of his hand. Disapproved of it. But Alex wouldn’t have survived this long without knowing just how potentially deadly it could be. His time at Malagosto alone would have spelled it out quite clearly. 

“How did you know?” He was actually interested in that. Had he lost his edge or was Alex coming into his?

“You didn’t do much to hide yourself in the cafe. A menu and hat are hardly a disguise.” 

They usually were, even to someone watching. For someone of Alex’s caliber it would have been insulting. But Yassen had more - contacts, makeup and even a beard. A fairly advanced disguise for a simple recon. Alex had still seen him. “It is enough to fool your employers.”

“Not hard.” Alex huffed then sighed “It’s your hands.”

How interesting that Alex Rider would be that interested in his hands. He arched an eyebrow but made a note that the next time he found Alex outside the field to wear gloves or at least have them occupied enough to be hidden. Unlike many of Alex’s enemies, he was never opposed to learning new things, even from a teenager. 

Alex knew that too. 

It was why he was rarely surprised to see Yassen on mission. After he had caught the boy, quite by accident, the first time he had slipped in under the body of a truck, he had ensured infrared scanners were a part of every operation. Even when he had no need to infiltrate, Alex knew which meant he always checked. The thought was more satisfying than he would ever admit. Yassen could order more discretion but preferred that the young spy know what exactly he was in for. Both of them hated failure but they had come to a gentleman’s agreement of sorts - if Alex was just there for information, Yassen would allow him free, sometimes help if the client was particularly obstructive and it would not impact his reputation too greatly. If Alex was good enough to get the information through Yassen’s security then he perhaps deserved the victory.

If he wasn’t there for information, and Alex always said that he was, he would find himself bloodied and bruised but relatively unharmed somewhere he could safely be found. Not retrieved, because the first time Yassen had activated his beacon he had been more than a little furious to find him still there 12 hours later.

As was industry standard, he had a distaste for intelligence agencies, mainly because they were just as, if not more, bloody and ruthless than the people they went up against. Alex was a prime example of that. For two people in such a large arena they met too often for his comfort. Which either meant MI6 sent him to every operation they suspected Yassen of being a part of or Alex spent more time in the field than anyone, most especially a boy still in school, should. Neither option appealed. 

“Would you like to explain why I am here rather than one of your handlers? Even MI6 is competent enough to sweep a schoolyard fight under the rug.”

“They are...” He hedged

“Alex.”

The boy sighed and Yassen couldn’t bring himself to be annoyed at the bout teenage frustration. Any other child, certainly but Alex Rider had been forced to act outside his age far too early, Yassen was inclined to indulge him. “Look…” he scuffed his shoe against the floor “they said if I got into another fight they would pull me out of school.”

“Perhaps that would be for the best. With your...schedule it would be difficult for you to get the marks needed.” That was more gentle than the situation deserved. He knew what Alex’s grades were already. He was not impressed, but could not put the fault at the teen’s feet. 

“My ‘schedule’ would be worse. I would be at their beck and call. There would be no illusions to maintain anymore. School doesn’t do much but it does mean there are some outside eyes watching me that need to be satisfied.”

“If you were so concerned then perhaps you should not have gotten into a fight.”

“I didn’t want to. I never want to but whenever I get back they always try and start them.” 

The words from the meeting came back ‘bullied’. Alex Rider was not someone who should be bullied. Teenagers were merciless but he was handsome and could be charming when the situation called for it. Glimpses of his father that should have shielded him from the scorn of children his age. It also did not take a practiced eye to see that he was able to defend himself and that was, perhaps, the problem right there. Teenage boys were always itching for a fight to test their developing strength. Alex would be the perfect target - obviously competent and not around enough to dissuade any from thinking that they could get one up on him.

“They may start the fights, but you are capable of finishing them quickly.”

“Yeah, if I want to do MI6s work for them and get expelled, zero tolerance and all that.”

Which is why he was bruised. It would be frustrating to be capable of taking on entire units of guards but to have to fall to a teenager to preserve what scrap of normalcy he could. “I am impressed at your control.”

The boy’s head snapped up at the compliment, eyes wide. He imagined that in Alex’s life, with no meaningful guardians left to give it, he was starved for them. Yassen could use that.

“Don’t be, I sent one to the hospital last month.” He murmured, averting his eyes back to where he was scuffing the floor. Last month was when he had seen him in Istanbul. A means to keep him out of the way until they could clear things up or a punishment? Knowing MI6, likely both. 

“You should have better control of your instincts by now.” He lectured

“I know.” He said tightly “but it’s not like school is the safest place for me either.” 

“I suppose not, all the more reason to get you out of it.” 

Without further steps to protect the school’s electronic records it would be a matter of time. He had no doubt MI6 watched. This time he had been spared since it was not on record. The teacher had said this was informal because Alex hadn’t fought back, given that an agent hadn’t been here when he arrived he was inclined to believe her. The next time he would not be so lucky.

“It’s all I have left, you told me to go back to school with Sayle. I’m here, I want to stay. I just needed a little help.” The boy had probably rehearsed that but it was no less sincere for it. 

“Had you listened back then you would not be in such a predicament.”

“I didn’t have a choice. Still don’t. But I’ll have less if they take me out of here.” That had been the subtext of the entire conversation. Dragged into the harsh light of day it was not entirely surprising but just as disturbing.

Alex was trapped with MI6. Did not want to be, but there was nothing that could be done for that - even if he wanted him to, Alex would never agree to come with him no matter what assurances he made. 

“This was only a bandaid, you will not be so lucky next time.”

“I know, I’ll figure something out.” He said desperately but Yassen could see that he didn’t believe that himself. 

More interesting, he was not going to ask Yassen for help. Pulling him in had likely been an act of desperation. He had answered his questions and endured his lecture likely because he felt obligated for putting him in that position in the first place. But he did not expect Yassen to fix his problems “You will need more than that.”

“I know.” he raked his hand through his hair in frustration. “I’ll handle it. I just haven’t had the time to figure it out yet.”

“You won’t be able to on your own.” Alex’s eyes narrowed. Many people had been proven painfully wrong when they told Alex Rider he wasn’t capable of doing something. They were alike in that respect. This would not be one of those times. “Even if you were to be able to keep MI6 from being alerted via the records or a phone call you will still need an adult to attend the meetings. It would have to be someone reliable, too many guardian changes would be suspicious and withdrawing the money needed to hire someone would garner attention. If you had someone in your life not connected to MI6 who was sympathetic I expect you already would have asked.” He likely knew all this. Having it spelled out would be painful but it was necessary.

“I’ve been pulling out some money slowly since they started paying me.” Yassen’s eyes narrowed, he did not like what that implied. “It should be enough for a few times, I think. I haven’t really had the chance to look. It might be hard to find someone good enough who is willing to help but I’ll figure it out. I have to.”

Despite Yassen obviously being willing to talk it through with him he still did not ask for more help and maybe that was why he offered it.

“I will handle any meetings and shield your records from MI6.” He should make him handle the records too but he doubted Alex had the finesse to hide such things from his employers. His hacking skills relied very much on just getting in to get the information not covering it up. Yassen was more experienced in that. He doubted the system was advanced enough that he would require help with it but if it proved problematic his contacts would enjoy the challenge of facing off against MI6. It might put Alex in more danger for anyone to know he had Yassen’s attention. He probably already suspected that when he brought him here but Alex had been desperate. In their field that was dangerous. Yassen would be remiss in allowing that to go unpunished.

The problem was there wasn’t anything that he wanted from Alex. Yassen did not need his money, meager as it likely was, and Alex didn’t have the freedom to offer his time or expertise. Nor did he have enough information to be useful. He could, perhaps, extract a favor to be repaid in the future but from their interactions there was very little that he could ask that Alex would not already do for him for free. The things that he wouldn’t do, Yassen was capable of on his own. 

The only thing he truly wanted from Alex - that he leave MI6 - he would not and could not give. To demand it would defeat the purpose entirely. But there were other ways to accomplish it, maybe not immediately, but Yassen was a patient man. 

“For a price.”

The teen didn’t seem surprised by that. “Name it.” 

A bold statement but he supposed that from Alex’s point of view anything would be better than putting him directly under Jones’ control. 

“Your marks are not acceptable” the boy flushed and was about to speak but Yassen cut across him “not through any fault of your own, I suspect. You will have the chance to prove that to me. I will arrange for the resources to help you catch up. In exchange, you will put forth every effort to do so.” It was absurdly parental, especially from the perspective that he was an elite assassin telling a highly accomplished spy this but neither of their lives had ever really made sense or been fair. 

He expected Alex to bristle, to tell him that he wasn’t his parent. The boy didn’t even blink, “I will.” He said firmly then softened “Thank you.”

Yassen nodded “I will arrange for it, then. You remember the cover story?”

He nodded, but he could see the boy mentally going back through it in his head just in case.

“You will do your best to ensure I will not need it, but should I be called back in for a meeting I will expect you to update me on any additions you have made to it.”

“Yes, sir.” 

What a gift - an unprompted honorific from Alex Rider. 

He took it for what it was - a sign of just how much this meant to Alex and just how much he knew that Yassen did not have to give it. He supposed he could reward that as well. Alex responded well to praise, affection would likely go the same way.

“I am certain I will see you soon. Try to behave until then, Sasha.” He ordered and left the room firm in the knowledge that somewhere fate was laughing. 

His thoughts whirled as he walked through the empty hallways. How fitting that he should have the chance to mentor Hunter’s son. But he had long ago stopped helping Alex for Hunter. Alex was his own person in Yassen’s mind, distinct from the mentor who had betrayed him and if he was honest he wasn’t even really doing this for Alex either. Seeing the teen in the field was a sign of danger and triggered an automatic spike in his blood pressure. He was not the only one. Getting him out from MI6 would be doing the entire criminal underworld a favor. It would certainly make Yassen’s employers happy, especially if he could be recruited. Alex had the deaths of 3 SCORPIA board members, a lieutenant, and arguably the organization itself at his feet before he turned 15. It was enough to guarantee the interest of anyone in the industry so long as he was willing. He wasn’t now but given time Yassen could easily change that.

But Yassen would be lying if he said his motives were entirely selfish. When it came down to it, for all that the teen was a thorn in his side, he respected him to a degree. Much like Yassen he had been thrown into impossible circumstances far too early but despite it he had thrived. Perhaps because of innate skill, perhaps his upbringing, but he could no longer attribute it to luck. Alex Rider was good to be alive for this long. Yassen's hand may be stayed against him but others were not and he bore the scars to prove it. He may not want to be in this world but there was no question that he belonged in it.

Alex had initially been recruited for his youth, it was a priceless if fleeting asset but it cut both ways. This was a prime example. School was a waste of Alex Rider’s time but in order to keep MI6 at bay he needed to be here. Maybe he could fix that problem for the teen too. 

It would be in Yassen’s best interest to isolate him from his peers so he could avoid any future summons. With enough money thrown at them, the school would easily bow to his whims and Yassen had nothing if not money. All he would need to do was justify the changes to Alex’s schedule and he could think of quite a bit that he could squeeze in under the guise of assisting with Alex’s problems at school. 

A mentor would not be unusual to help such a troubled boy - that they would actually be instructing him on bombs and locks and hacking and everything else he needed to survive in the field could easily be hidden. 

A language instructor as well because he doubted that they covered a language that Alex wasn’t already fluent in and he would not tolerate wasted time. Arabic or perhaps Russian, maybe both? They would serve him equally well.

He could even try for individual martial arts training to help with what they would see as a lack of self discipline and would serve to replace any form of physical education that Alex had no doubt been slacking off in to avoid attracting more attention from his peers.

And if Alex was reacting so heavily on instinct toward them then it was clear that MI6 was not giving him the coping skills necessary in their line of work. Yassen could easily convince the school of the need for a therapist. One of his own hiring, of course, because Alex needed to be able to be completely open with them when he became comfortable enough to do so. 

By the time he was through Alex Rider might regret giving him the opportunity for such control over him. 

Yassen doubted it. 

Any other child would rage against it but he had been thrown, without his consent, into a brutal, vicious world he had no business being in. He would see Yassen’s changes for what they were - a chance at survival. For that alone, he would work himself to the bone to take advantage of it. The knowledge that Yassen was watching would only make him that much more determined to succeed. 

Shaping Alex Rider was a surprisingly thrilling prospect, if one that would be painfully simple. In the field, he was difficult to break, he didn't have many weaknesses to target - no attachments left to speak of, his pain tolerance was high, and his determination was legendary. Many had tried and failed to break him. But Yassen wouldn’t have to. He clearly already had his trust. From there, with the right balance of push and praise, he could turn Alex Rider into whatever he wanted him to be. 

Assuming MI6 never found out, it would only be a matter of time before he would be able to coax Alex away from them. He was close now, they certainly made it easy, but his time with SCORPIA would make him understandably cautious. He would need assurances that the experience would not be repeated. Yassen had several contacts who would jump at the opportunity to take MI6s golden boy from them ones that wouldn’t overtly offend his still admittedly childish sensibilities, some introductions would be in order to smooth the way. In a year or so, with his trust in Yassen established and knowledgeable of his options, Alex would jump at the chance to get away from his handlers. Until then, Yassen would ensure he had every tool at his considerable disposal to survive. 

For now, he would need to reach out to his contacts and begin arranging Alex’s schedule. He could probably hand it off to someone else but he was inclined to give it the personal touch. A message to his employer to change Alex’s standing from “kill on sight” to “potential recruit” wouldn’t hurt either He almost looked forward to the next time he would see Alex tied to a chair in front of him - their usual form of meeting. The boy would have a smart remark for him, likely about how he was helping the enemy and Yassen would tolerate it, even enjoy it, because it would mean that Alex Rider was alive and still not broken to MI6s will. 

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Not entirely in love with it but it was interesting to see how I could realistically get Yassen into a parent teacher conference. The rest is just pure fantasy fulfillment for someone to help Alex and get him some therapy.
> 
> If you can’t see the running theme in my fics I don’t understand the mismanagement of Alex Rider as an asset. That’s not fair, I do....kinda. Alex wants a normal life but since when does MI6 care what Alex Rider wants? Alex also wants to be *alive* (I hope) and I really don’t see him turning down any opportunity to help him stay that way. 
> 
> Also, I’m sorry for the literal barrage of fics lately. I know it interrupts some people’s valuable study time (looking at you victoryhonorfame) but I should hopefully be slowing down soon.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Specific Performance](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27268591) by [BurntWhisper](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BurntWhisper/pseuds/BurntWhisper)
  * [One Year](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27545992) by [BurntWhisper](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BurntWhisper/pseuds/BurntWhisper)




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